" A
ferriage of twopence pays for the transit across the river, and gives the
freedom of these grounds, which are threaded with paths that meander and
zigzag to the top of the precipitous ridge, amid trees and shrubbery, and
the occasional ease of rustic seats. It is a sweet walk for lovers, and
was so for us; although J-----, with his scramblings and disappearances,
and shouts from above, and headlong scamperings down the precipitous
paths, occasionally frightened his mother. After gaining the heights,
the path skirts along the precipice, allowing us to see down into the
village street, and, nearer, the Derwent winding through the valley so
close beneath us that we might have flung a stone into it. These crags
would be very rude and harsh if left to themselves, but they are quite
softened and made sweet and tender by the great deal of foliage that
clothes their sides, and creeps and clambers over them, only letting a
stern face of rock be seen here and there, and with a smile rather than a
frown.
The next day, Monday, we went to see the grand cavern. The entrance is
high up on the hillside, whither we were led by a guide, of whom there
are many, and they all pay tribute to the proprietor of the cavern.
There is a small shed by the side of the cavern mouth, where the guide
provided himself and us with tallow candles, and then led us into the
darksome and ugly pit, the entrance of which is not very imposing, for it
has a door of rough pine boards, and is kept under lock and key.
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